Competition, rushers and uber micro aside, do you just love RTS, the little buildings and units? If so, please take a moment to jot down a few thoughts about how RTS games delight you and what about them makes you happy.

I'm pretty strange when it comes to playing RTS games. I like to play games with factions that can eat their enemies. Zerg, undead, Alien, etc. I would guess that I'm in it more for the sim type qualities than the pvp stuff; I've always wanted to be the lurking monster in the dark. Of course when I win an RTS it makes me feel smart too, having outwitted my opponent.

Please tell me what you remember about the joys of building forts as a kid. I am trying to separate the joy of building and playing RTS from the turtle strategy that Sensational describes.

As a girl I built houses, not forts. There was something attractive about building something that one could then go inside, but I really don't remember to be honest.

I'm sure some Sim City players could describe this in a good way (Better than me, but I'll give it a try), that is pretty much a RTS game without the combat. And the building system in Sim City is a bit more advanced. It's fun to build a "fort", a city or a base, that doesn't matter. I guess there's some pleasure in knowing that your "fort" is a good one, that you have built it well? Or finding ways to adapt your "fort" to your enemies, whatever they might be, finding new ways to build your city or your castle and improving it. The actual building process and knowing how to do it right is fun for me.

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I think the only RTS I truly enjoyed the Building Process was the Stronghold series (well the 1st and Crusader, haven't touched the others). That's mostly because they had the optional mode to free play on massive maps without the enemy attacking just for a fun sim mode.

My first real RTS to get into was Warcraft II. It's still my favorite of the series today, but I used to waste hours in single player keeping the enemy at bay and just building the most massive cities I could. But then when I discovered multiplayer, I soon discovered that unless you're playing with a friend who shares your same passion, you're going to get stomped quick.

I'm with Matte though; it's all about the armies in the end and pushing the little guys to victory or death. Probably why I love the Dawn of War series so much since a couple units can be deployed and then BAM you have entire squads on the field.

Did anyone else play the Myth series from Bungie? That was probably hands down one of the coolest RTS's I could get into because it wasn't about building and resource management, but taking what troops you can and just playing smart with them.

In a sense, it was like Tabletop Miniature Warfare come to life, and the littlest things in that game made such an uber difference (throwing a grenade uphill had disastrous results sometimes; and one time I was able to deplot a bunch of archers under a bridge while my opponent attempted to zerg me with all melee, and I wasted his entire forces and they ran over the bridge).

It all started with Dune for DOS, with much joy at getting my arse kicked by a slow and annoying interface. Oh, and the Harkonnen military machine. The joys of having crap units and rubbish defences as you worked your way towards to UBER unit.. only to find out it wasn't worth it.

And then you added the damn sandworms, which where one huge pain in the arse (or unexpected ally, depending on which direction its moving). By the time you'd finished the game, you where somewhat dubious about repeating the whole thing with another house (but you do anyway, because you really want to know if the UBER weapons on that side ar any good).

Fun times.

And then I got Command & Conquer, and fell in love with the genre properly and completely. Faster AI's and Graphics, plus an interface that worked, it was just fantastic to play (Not to mention the storyline that kept you guesing what was happening). Early base construction always forced you to try and use the terrain to your advantage, as well as use it againt your enemy to the best of your ability.

Dunes "build concrete foundations first" construction philosopthy kept you from over extending yourself (unless you where posessed and just HAD to have more building room early on). Both games had something unique (story wise) about the central resources (which just adds incentive to harvest). In one, your competing with other houses for control of Spice (used for space travel as a fuel source) and in the other your harvesting Tiberium (which is slowly destroying the earth, causing the worst enviromental damage than man ever could) hoping to save the planet from being consumed.

The story in both games is what kept bringing me back, I wanted to know if Kane was going to get his arse kicked (As GDI) - What Kanes master plan was for NOD (as Furries for Freedom). And what your hosue was going to do to humanity in Dune.

RTS games are my favourite genre. Not because you can 'pwn' someone. But because of the strategy and depth. Build a base, then fight. I can remember Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds. I remember getting out the hero units and wreaking havoc. For me, it's just the amount of thinking and gameplay style that goes into an RTS, that makes it my favourtie genre...